Pulled Pork with Slaw on a Toasted Brioche Bun

https://twitter.com/Graboid456

Serves 6-8

Prep time: 15 minutes pork

Cooking Time: Approx. 9 hours (or until internal temp is 205f)

Wood

Smokewood Shack Hickory Chunks and Apple Wood Chips

Equipment

Smoker, Thermometer

Pork Shoulder

A 2kg Pork Shoulder without the bone, if you can

find bone-in, go for that.

Rub

I use a commercial rub like Big Bob Gibson’s or similar, you can

Make your own, I recommend this one from Amazing Ribs.com

Preparing the Pork

Unpack the shoulder and remove any excessive fat, I use scissors to trim of any pockets of fat. Usually there is not a lot to remove so should be a quick process.

Apply an American style mustard to the pork, I use French’s mustard, this will as a rub glueing agent, don’t’ worry the mustard will render out and it won’t taste of mustard at all.

Next add the rub to the pork shoulder. I like to cover every part so you can’t even see the pork underneath

Once applied go fire up the smoker and allow to come to room temperature for about half an hour to an hour. Duing this time the rub will react with the pork and will look like it’s wet. This is normal.

Smoker

I use a 57cm Weber Smokey Mountain as my smoker of choice.

I use the Minion method with means I fill the basket with unlit briquettes or lump wood, then light a full chimney of either and tip on top in the middle. The coals will slowly ignite the unlit ones next to them and you can prolong the cook for around 8-10 hours I find. Here I’ve added Hickory Wood chunks ready for the lit coals to start the smoking process.

Once lit wait until and maintain a temperature of approx. 250f

Pork is forgiving so don’t worry if it goes a little higher or lower than this.

I use a BBQ Guru Party Q to help with this part. I also recommend a thermometer

To keep an eye on the meat temp. I use the Maverick 733 wireless with an alarm so I know when to wrap and take it off.

Add some apple wood chips every hour for the first 3 hours. As a ratio I would go 1/3 Hickory and 2/3rds Apple.

When the Pork hits around 150-160f you may notice it doesn’t seem to move. This is ‘the stall’. It can take hours before it goes up. It’s normal. After about an hour I wrap it in foil or butchers paper.

Keep going until it reaches 205f internal, it’ll pull apart great. Some take it off around 190f so if time

Is short you can take it off here. It’s safe to eat at the 160f mark but won’t pull easily.

I would rest for around 1 hour

Whilst resting heat up some BBQ sauce, I used a commercial sauce, and I thin it down with some apple cider vinegar.

Pull the pork apart with two forks, then syphon off the fatty juice. I then pour over the thinned sauce and using my hands make sure all the pork has a light covering of the sauce.

Toast a bun (I forgot to in the picture!) and apply some of your favourite slaw on top, slaw is a great crunchy contrast to the succulent meat. Google an Apple Slaw recipe for a more British take on this American classic.

For garnish I used a slice gherkin and used a bamboo stick to keep it all together.

Serve with friends and family, and a cold beer. Enjoy!